Hey folks! Alderman Brooks here. Before we get started I am VERY excited to share that *drum roll* our FEMA grant for City Dock is finally approved!

We celebrated this incredible success on Friday with our Federal, State, and County partners. We could not have done this without them. I am a big believe in sharing credit when it is due so I want to thank by name Senator Chris Van Hollen, Senator Angela Alsobrooks, and Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth. Your work at the Federal level made this happen. Congresswoman Elfreth reaching out to the Navy to assist with the campaign was essential, without our work at City Dock the Naval Academy would continue to be at risk of flooding, and that is why we are proud to call you our representative.

Closer to home Senator Shaneka Henson, Delegate Dana Jones, Delegate Dylan Behler, County Executive Pittman, and County Councilwoman Rodvien made this partnership a success story. The state and county funding we have will make City Dock one of the finest parks not just in Maryland but in the whole country. Mayor Jared Littman’s leadership helped get this project that had been stalled on the 5 yard line into the endzone and we salute him. Finally, we need to thank our former Mayor, Gavin Buckley. Mayor Buckley’s vision got this started. City Dock would still be a parking lot, a waste of some of the finest land on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay, if he did not come up with a bold plan and see it through. Some naysayers who were cheering for the city to fail in this endeaver will still cry foul, but the project is needed and will be something our city can be proud of for generations. 

Now onto the agenda! This agenda is going to be briefing heavy again. The meeting will begin at 5:45 for a closed session on labor negotiations and a City Dock legal update.

CALL TO ORDER

Moment of Silence, Pledge of Allegiance & Roll Call

Proposed Closed Session

ID-33-26 A Proposed Closed Session - Discussion Topics: update on collective bargaining negotiations and pending or potential litigation regarding the City Dock project.

At 7:00 PM THE COUNCIL WILL PROCEED TO THE MAIN AGENDA ITEMS

Approval of Agenda

PETITIONS, REPORTS & COMMUNICATIONS

Update from Mayor and Reports by Committees

Comments be the General Public

A person speaking before the City Council with a petition, report, or communication shall be limited to no more than three minutes. Comments must be limited to things not up for Public Hearing on the agenda.

Quarterly Report

ID-46-26 Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis (HACA) - Quarterly report from HACA.

PUBLIC HEARINGS

O-3-26 Annapolis Harbor Lines at Hawkins Cove - This ordinance authorizes the City Council to change the harbor lines for the Hawkins Cove Restoration project. Hawkins Cove is a small tributary that flows into Spa Creek near Truxtun Park. 

Consent Calendar

Journals of Procedures, Approval of City Council Meeting Minutes for the following dates: 2/2/26 - 2/9/26 - 2/23/26

Appointments

AP-13-26 Appointment - Ms. Jan Lee - Board of Supervisors of Elections

AP-14-26 Reappointment - Mr. Liam Mercer - Board of Supervisors of Elections

AP-15-26 Reappointment - Ms. Deborah Yatsuk - Board of Supervisors of Elections

End of Consent Calendar

LEGISLATIVE ACTION 

First Readers

CA-1-26 - Updating Requirements for Publication of the Charter and Code of the City of Annapolis - This Charter Amendment updates the section requiring that the City Charter Code, along with any updates, be published in a book or binder. It allows the Charter to be officially published on the City's website or through other electronic methods; paper copies are no longer mandatory. 

O-5-26 - Reallocation of Unexpended Bond Proceeds - This ordinance allows unspent money from City bond sales to be reallocated. 

R-5-26 - Designating Northwest Street as an Honorary Street in Memory of De Lorma "Dee" Goodwyn - The resolution dedicates Northwest Street, which runs between Church Circle and College Creek, to honor lifelong Annapolis resident De Lorma Goodwyn, and requires the City to post a sign designating Northwest Street as 'De Lorma "Dee" Goodwyn Way'. This does not rename the street; it adds an honorary name (also known as). Dee Goodwyn was such a bright light in our city and I’m proud to join this as a cosponsor. If her family is able to join us on Monday we will be suspending the rules to pass this resolution that evening. 

R-6-26 - Authorizing Itinerant Merchant Sales Within the Annapolis Historic District for Approved Special Events During Calendar Year 2026 -- The Council approves "Special Events," large events that attract many visitors and require the use of City streets or facilities. This resolution authorizes the Special Events occurring annually in the City for the 2026 calendar year. The resolution also allows Itinerant Merchants (vendors) to conduct sales during those Special Events. 

Second Readers

O-40-25 - Establishing a 12-Month Moratorium on New Short-Term Rental Licenses - The ordinance establishes a one-year moratorium on the issuance of new short-term rental licenses to give the Council time to review the current law and staff time to recommend changes. This ordinance will only apply on issuing NEW licenses to non owner occupied short term rental properties. I am supporting this legislation with some amendments that 1) Help clarify how one can establish residency 2) Acknowledges and builds upon the prior work that was done on short term rentals during the previous council. 

O-1-26 - Property Tax - Child Care Centers, Family Child Care Homes, and Large Family Child Care Homes -- This ordinance authorizes a City property tax credit of up to $10,000 annually for state-licensed or registered child care providers in the City. The sponsor (me) is offering an amendment to lower the maximum amount to $4,000. This one is complicated. First I’m going to explain the amendment. The state of Maryland passed enabling legislation to allow Anne Arundel County and Annapolis to offer property tax credits for licensed childcare facilities up to $10,000 during the prior legislative session. This enabling legislation was passed at the recommendation of a task force consisting of representatives from the Maryland Women’s Caucus, the Comptroller’s office, and the Anne Arundel County Executive’s office. 

The $10,000 proposal came with a VERY large potential fiscal note that while our finance office acknowledged would not be as high as they were estimating, they could not responsibly say it was a lower number, which is fine because it is better to have a conservative finance office. Working with our finance office I looked into the actual property taxes these businesses would be paying, and it ended up being nowhere near $10,000 annually. Most were between $2,000 to $4,000. Lowering the amount via amendment allowed us to get a smaller fiscal note (that is still overestimating the cost but not nearly as high) while allowing these childcare centers to get a tax break, which can bring wait times and costs for childcare down. 

NOW onto the complication. This bill is still technically stuck in the Rules Committee. It passed the Finance Committee’s (which handles our tax policies) February meeting faborably. The Rules Committee postponed action on the legislation in both February and March without duscussing the bill. However since the legislation has passed the Finance Committee and is a tax bill I am seeing if it has met the requirements to be moved forward for final vote with a simple majority of support. If it require unanimous support the legislation will be delayed until April.

R-3-26 - Water Service Agreement with North Point Property LLC -- This resolution allows Chesapeake Harbour, a private, waterfront residential property owned by North Point Property, to tap into the City's water system. I was very concerned about this resolution at first. The property is located outside of the city and during our last term we conducted a land value and infrastructure study that showed the majority of properties in the city cost more to service with water and sewer than we receive in property taxes and usage fees. That said, properties outside the city pay 3 times more than properties inside the city and the larger water/sewer line it would connect to is already laid so construction costs are at a minimum. I’m inclined to support but trying to learn a little more about the financing. 

ADJOURNMENT